The Story of Mankind

Ancient Greek GovernmentThe Greeks had a lot of different kinds of governments, because there were many different city-states in ancient Greece, and they each had their own government. In addition, people's ideas about what made a good government changed over time. Aristotle divided Greek governments into monarchies, oligarchies, tyrannies and democracies, and most historians still use these same divisions. For the most part, Greece began by having monarchies, then oligarchies, then tyrannies and then democracies, but at each period there were plenty of city-states using a different system, and there were many which never did become democracies or tyrannies at all. In the Late Bronze Age (the Mycenean period), between about 2000 and 1200 BC, all Greek city-states seem to have been monarchies, ruled by kings.

Druid Tree LoreTrees in particular were mysterious, and seemed to me direct embodiments of the incomprehensible meaning of life. For that reason, the woods were the place that I felt closest to its deepest meaning and to its awe-inspiring workings. C.G.Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections Druids love trees and often visit trees and woods to meditate there, hold ceremonies, or simply commune with Nature. Most Druids support tree-planting and reforestation programmes and the Order runs a Sacred Grove Planting project to help members and the public create woodland sanctuaries. The Order also supports three tree-planting charities: Trees for Life, Tree Aid, and The Woodland Trust.

The 5 Most Terrifying Civilizations In The History of the WorldThey say that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, so pay attention for Christ's sake. It turns out that many of our ancestors achieved levels of violence that take them right out of the realm of "badass" and into the less cool area of ball-shriveling atrocity. These are the civilizations you don't want to face during, say, your next time travel adventure. And yes, the Spartans are down there. History is kind of spotty on the Celts (they never wrote anything down, and many of the witnesses died brutally) but what facts survived confirm one thing: They had gigantic Celtic balls. First of all, they had a thing for severed heads.Infographic of the Day: How the Global Food Market Starves the PoorTo understand the complexities of the international food market--and how traders in Chicago can cause Africans to starve--you could get a ph.D. in economics, or read a 400-page report from the World Bank. Or you watch this superb nine minute video, directed by Denis van Waerebeke. Though ostensibly created for a science show in Paris for 12 year olds, it's actually probably waaaay over a kid's head. Just watch--it's excellent, and very well illustrated: The video begins with a basic question: How is it that the first world has an oversupply of food, while 1 in 7 in the world go malnourished?

Ancient Greece and Rome and Their Influence on Modern Western CivilizationThis essay examines the political, economic, and social structures of ancient Greece and Rome and explores how these systems influenced modern Western civilization. An Enduring Legacy The American political system, like those of many other Western nations, is profoundly influenced by ideas from ancient Greece and Rome.The 10 Most Puzzling Ancient ArtifactsThe Bible tells us that God created Adam and Eve just a few thousand years ago, by some fundamentalist interpretations. Science informs us that this is mere fiction and that man is a few million years old, and that civilization just tens of thousands of years old. Could it be, however, that conventional science is just as mistaken as the Bible stories? There is a great deal of archeological evidence that the history of life on earth might be far different than what current geological and anthropological texts tell us. Consider these astonishing finds: The Grooved Spheres

The Names of the DoctorThroughout his many adventures, the Doctor has assumed (or been given) many names. In anticipation of season finale The Name of the Doctor , and the launch of Who-ology: The Official Doctor Who Miscellany , we chose some of our favourite names of the Doctor: Doctor Foreman Right from the series' first episode, the Doctor's name was a mystery.Once Upon a Time, the Universe Was Really WeirdToday, looking out across a seemingly boundless cosmos filled with an unimaginable variety of exotic objects, it’s easy to forget that the Universe we currently admire is the product of a violent event that occurred 13.75 billion years ago. As we know, the leading theory for universal birth is the Big Bang, where everything came from nothing, in a single energetic burst of inexplicable creation. So, if we turn back the clock back 13.75 billion years, what would we see? My instinct would be to say “energy, the Universe was filled with pure, violent energy,” but according to some mind-bending work by Jonas Mureika from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Calif., and Dejan Stojkovic from SUNY at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, the answer may be a little more complicated than that. In fact, it may be so weird that we can’t even imagine what it would have been like.

Ancient Greece and Rome (20)Class Worksheets » Ancient Greece and Rome (20) File ancient greece map ws.doc (DOC 29 KB) File greece - map.pdf (PDF 442 KB) File 5-1 ws.doc (DOC 25 KB)Top 10 Bizarre & Controversial Archeological DiscoveriesMany strange archeological discoveries have been made in modern history. Hundreds of artifacts have been unearthed that have baffled scientists and challenged modern man’s view of history. Many of these objects have been labeled out of place artifacts or anachronisms.